Chapter 44: Undercurrents
In the current era, it doesn't really matter whether a song's music video features the singer's face or not, or even whether there are any supporting characters—Luo Xuan calmed down after thinking about this.
Anyway, he didn't intend to make any impact with this kind of animated music video. Since he didn't need to show his face, he could save on makeup touch-ups later...
He genuinely dislikes wearing makeup!
Some people find the sticky feeling of applying creams and lotions to their skin enjoyable, some don't care, and some find it torturous. He is one of those who finds this feeling particularly torturous.
If it were a story-driven music video that allowed for more creative expression, he might still want to try his best to get it.
However, it is clear that even if Li Sishi is Miss Zhuang's new favorite and enjoys some preferential treatment that is different from ordinary newcomers, she must still abide by the rules that "newcomers" should follow. No matter how much she is favored and pampered, she cannot go too far.
As for the kind of story-driven music videos like those by Lun Yongnan, which are groundbreaking in Hong Kong during this era, they require a lot of money and effort.
Lun Yongnan was able to do this because he was the absolute number one artist at PolyGram, a pinnacle figure in the music scene of the 1980s. Coupled with the favorable timing and circumstances of the rampant piracy of music videos at that time, he had the confidence and resources to remake the old animated series music videos into brand new story-driven music videos.
Li Sishi, who doesn't have that status and popularity now, is able to have music videos and several different looks for each of her four songs. There are probably many newcomers around her time who are secretly envious of this. You know, for ordinary newcomers, whether it's a single or a large album, they can just shoot a few versatile video clips and do one or two universal looks, and then cut and edit them to meet the music video requirements for an entire album.
In an era where entertainment reigns supreme and the market is paramount, things are inherently superficial and profit-driven.
After filming the everyday scenes of playing and frolicking in the small garden, Luo Xuan quickly changed into a suit and continued filming with Li Sishi, who had already changed into a little dress, by the piano in the villa.
In this segment, Li Sishi filmed a lip-synced singing and playing video for later editing, while Luo Xuan leaned against the piano, looking like he was admiring his lover playing the piano – of course, in this segment, only his neck and lower body were visible.
Later, after Li Sishi released this deluxe collector's edition EP, Luo Xuan's performance, in which he never showed his face, was often ridiculed by his friends Cheng Erjian and Zhou Huiguang, who said he played the famous hero "Headless Horseman" in the show...
As for the others, they were surprised that this deluxe collector's edition EP was indeed, as the advertisement claimed, genuinely made with high-quality materials.
Four brand-new, exquisite music videos were released, giving me a pleasant surprise that the actual product matched the promotional material.
Within days, this newly launched deluxe collector's edition sold out again on the market.
This scarcity marketing strategy was devised by Lu Yiting and approved by Zhuang Menghua. The aim was to make those who couldn't buy the new version only able to look on longingly at various nightclubs and karaoke bars. Although the money earned was relatively less, the boost to popularity was top-notch.
Moreover, cutting all the leeks at once is not conducive to future development. Reprinting batches in batches will keep people's appetites whetted and make them feel that Li Sishi is a true supernova, with each album selling out.
Zhou Huichang owns two versions of Li Sishi's album, both personally signed by Li Sishi, which made her quite the star at school. However, considering some key issues, she still went to a karaoke bar with her classmates during the holidays. This way, she could see the live performance of her cousin's new album version and also get closer to her new classmates so they could help "promote her cousin, this rising star with a heavenly voice..."
A group of female students were chatting and laughing in a karaoke room, and naturally, they were all expressing their opinions. Now that several popular new songs had just released their new music videos, the atmosphere became even more lively.
"My favorite is 'One, Two, Three, Each with Their Own Dreams.' The little princess look in that MV is so exquisite and adorable; the little crown and Rococo dress really complement her face! Although industry insiders like Li Sishi might think these animated series-style MVs can't compare to truly big-budget productions, this level of production is more than enough for a newcomer with a small theme, and it's certainly enough to make today's audiences feel it's 'exquisitely produced.'"
Alright.
For example, the theme of the song "One, Two, Three, Each with Their Own Dreams," which was once considered childish, was the expectation and fantasy of love for a young girl in an ivory tower. Therefore, Li Sishi was given an exquisite and cute little princess look. Paired with this light and melodious love song, it perfectly fulfilled all the dreams and fantasies of a young girl on campus.
Of course, many people also expressed that they preferred "Love in the Wind and Rain" or "My Beloved": both of these music videos feature male leads, but the former's male lead is a well-known new king of pop, while the latter's male lead is a tall, handsome guy who never showed his face throughout the entire video, which makes people quite interested in these two music videos.
"Longing in the Wind and Rain" is beyond words; from the melody to the lyrics to the vocals, it's a masterpiece, a perfect match. (The music video is also excellent.)
Although the content is simple, the emotional performance by the two singers gives it a subtle, classical melancholy.
Especially Li Sishi's face, which suits both ancient and modern styles, is even more beautiful against the black and white background of the MV, making Shang Hanyou, who is only known for his strength among the other three good-looking friends, seem a bit more dashing.
It's probably true that when someone's appearance reaches a certain level, people subconsciously increase their liking for them. In the past, if such comments were made, they would definitely be heavily criticized by Shang Hanyou's loyal fans who clamored that "appearance is only temporary, strength is everything."
Only the MV's claim that "high-颜值 (good looks) can elevate the looks of those around you" could silence Shang Hanyou's loyal fans, who then tentatively suggested that Shang Hanyou's album version also use this MV...
Although people at this time did not know what "atmosphere" meant, seeing their own idol, who was considered good-looking but was constantly ridiculed as a "talented" person because of his shortcomings compared to his peers, gaining some recognition through this experience could at least fill the void left by years of resentment in their hearts.
The male lead in "My Beloved" whose face has never been shown makes people speculate that this is the setting of the music video. The "male lead" is only used as a symbol, and the main focus is still on this song and Li Sishi, who is most suitable to wear an elegant little dress: the gentle and calm lyrics are paired with a soft and gentle voice, which can express a deep affection that lasts for a lifetime.
Without a doubt, the highest quality of these four music videos is "Beloved," which seems to be imbued with a dreamy and hazy pink mood from the song to the music, the people to the scenery; but the most stunning look is that of the old song "Hateful Marriage" which is sung in a new way.
Because it featured Li Sishi's first period drama look!
Replace the piano with a guqin, and the deep red modern dress with a pink-based white veil ancient costume. Amidst the mournful and lingering melodies constructed by silk and bamboo instruments, the aloof and stunningly beautiful girl playing the guqin and singing softly seems to be shrouded in light smoke and mist, like a dream that is fragile and easily shattered.
This new image is unprecedented, and many newspapers and magazines have praised it highly, saying that Li Sishi, this beauty pageant contestant, has great potential. If TBL is willing to cultivate her carefully, she may well become another beautiful figure in Hong Kong's film and television industry in the future.
Of course, where there's praise, there's also criticism. A small group of gossip tabloids, going against the mainstream, heavily criticized Li Sishi's period costume look, calling it incongruous, saying that a young girl couldn't carry off the charm of period costumes, and some even directly suggesting that this look was exploratory—as is widely known.
It is known that it has been ten years since the last series of TV dramas adapted from martial arts novels. This year, TBL also announced a filming plan to remake Gan Gan's works. The first part of the most famous "Qing Xia" trilogy is said to be on the agenda, and filming will begin next year when everything is ready.
Li Sishi's aloof and ethereal fairy-like appearance while playing the zither is very likely an attempt to challenge the role of "Cloud Cliff Fairy," the unique and highly popular absolute female lead in the second part of the trilogy.
The paparazzi in Hong Kong are never afraid of news that is too explosive; they are only afraid that the news is not impactful enough.
Upon seeing this speculation, they immediately gathered in groups, intending to ambush Mr. Gan Gan. Unexpectedly, the old man had been running a newspaper for so many years and had even managed to make his newspaper one of the top-selling newspapers in Hong Kong. His keen sense of trending topics was off the charts.
Before they could even begin to gather and surround them, the newspaper founded by Gan Gan had already published a review of the design, and even added a line of poetry at the end: "It can be seen above the nine heavens, but where on earth can one find traces of immortals?"
Seeing this vague yet ambiguous comment, many shrewd paparazzi were already secretly cursing him as an old fox: it's obvious that the old man is very satisfied with Li Sishi's appearance and age, but considering that her acting skills are still unclear, he came up with this roundabout comment. It seems like he's praising Li Sishi, but at the same time, it's like he's praising the heroine of his novel, who is only found in the heavens and is hard to find on earth...
However, at least the old man was very satisfied with Li Sishi's appearance—indeed, if he didn't genuinely love beautiful women, how could he have sketched out those diverse and unique beauties in the book?
For a time, people were extremely interested in whether Li Sishi could play the role of Yunya Fairy in the filming plans for the next two years.
Yes, Li Sishi has always had an ethereal beauty, and now that she's the perfect age, if fate allows, we might actually see a "Cloud Cliff Fairy" who perfectly matches the novel's description in both appearance and age.
It wasn't until news broke in the industry that casting for the second installment hadn't even begun, and that, according to TBL's usual practice, filming large-scale period dramas requires early training, and current Miss Hong Kong Lee Sze-sze certainly couldn't find the time... that this wave of discussion about the characters gradually subsided.
Some were happy while others were sad. Watching Li Sishi's popularity rise day by day, and the deluxe collector's edition of her EP selling out at a price higher than her own new album, Guo Luyun looked at her own dismal sales statistics and felt like she had smashed several small items at home.
By
What!
She was the first to emerge and the first among the newcomers to establish herself through singing and dancing. How come a beauty pageant contestant who's just a pretty face can surpass her?!
"Just like that Zhuang Menghua, she doesn't have much talent, she just got to the top through tricks. She collaborates with superstars, spends money to shoot music videos, and rides the wave of popularity from the previous beauty pageant. She doesn't use her mind on anything worthwhile, but she's full of wicked ideas." Yin Longjuan quickly comforted her talented and lucky niece.
This was a clever move by the couple to keep Zhuang Menghua in check; they couldn't let her be wasted like this.
"But I've heard Li Sishi's songs, she..."
Guo Luyun paused for a moment before whispering, "Her singing... was alright, I guess."
"Oh, Lulu, you're a singer yourself, you must know how amazing recording studios are these days, right? They fix every single note, making the recording sound great, but the truth is, it all comes out when you sing it live—have you seen Li Sishi sing live recently?"
"No, not at all." Guo Luyun thought for a moment and then replied.
“Exactly, no one is perfect. If she could sing live, why doesn’t Zhuang Menghua arrange concerts for her?” Yin Longjuan tapped her niece’s forehead. “Even if she can’t lead the way now, she can still gain experience as a guest at some famous singers’ concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum—this Li Sishi is the laziest Miss Hong Kong winner I’ve ever seen. She hasn’t attended many banquets and events that she was supposed to attend, and Zhuang Menghua even said it was because she was too young and needed to focus on her studies…”
"Auntie, you mean... she's actually the kind of 'studio singer'?" Guo Luyun immediately understood.
"It's highly likely that's the case. That's why Zhuang Menghua doesn't dare to let her be a guest at the Hong Kong Coliseum right now. She's just keeping her in the background so she can continue her studies. Then she accepted a new song compilation album for the Hong Kong City Hall later... They're both new singers. Even if Li Sishi isn't quite there yet by then, the difference won't be that obvious..."
Before Yin Longjuan could finish speaking, Guo Luyun interrupted, "I'll go too!"
"Yes, so your uncle has prepared a great upbeat song for you to sing and dance to, which will best highlight your strengths. You'll be ahead of Li Sishi in the standings. Once your perfect singing and dancing has heated up the atmosphere in the final stage, who will have the patience to listen to her slow songs?" Yin Longjuan patted Guo Luyun's hand with a smile.
"Oh..." Guo Luyun nodded gently, seemingly obediently letting out a long "oh," but in her heart she was somewhat dissatisfied with this arrangement.
She had wanted to change her image for a long time. If Li Sishi hadn't taken away the new song resources that originally belonged to her, forcing her to cobble together a new album with half fast songs and half slow songs, and her transformation wasn't thorough enough, she wouldn't have lost in this competition.
If you're going to compete, then of course you should use your weaknesses to crush your opponent's strengths—for example, someone known for singing and dancing fast songs and being able to perform live, could use a perfectly performed slow-paced love song to completely crush a studio singer like Li Sishi!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
